Circuit breaker



Nov. 16, 1937.

F. G. VON HOORN CIRCUIT BREAKER Filed Sept. 25, 1936 Fbgl. 23 2. 4 /3 1 I'- /18 wu, 4i I?" 5 I I l JJ \1= 1 Ei /0 l /5 rllh 2/ la"vr IMsaLAr/on/ f6' Y /5 l; 1; 'lf if. NUL @"1 Inventor:

Fred G/Orw HO Orn Hi s At t OT` hey.

.Patented Nov. V16, 1937 I v l UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE cmcm'r Bananen FredG.vonlloorn,Brideport,0onn.,alsignor LoGeerrlElectl-lecompmnacorpontionof ewo 1 application september as, issn, semi No. mass s claim. (ci. zoe-1s) My invention relates to circuit breakers, more tendingthrough one wall and a shoulder extendparticularly to operators, or operating attaching parallel to the path of movement ot the operments, for simultaneously operating a plurality ating lever. The circuit breakers are supported of circuit breakers, and has for an object the in spaced side-by-side relation, and the guide 5 provision of a simple, reliable and inexpensive -plate portions of the slidable'operator extend device of this character. across the spaces between adjacent circuit break- It is sometimes advantageous in the control of ers so that the edges of the guide plate portions electric circuits to mount a plurality of individcooperate with the shoulders on the circuit breakual circuit breakers, for example branch-circuit er casings to guide the operator for sliding movecircuit breakers, in an outlet box or housing, and ment. Preferably, a common cover plate, pro- 10 to provide means for simultaneously operating vided with an aperture through which all of the all or a plurality of the circuit breakers. It has operating levers extend, is supported closely adheretofore been proposed rigidly to secure a jacent the circuit breakers, and the slidable crossbar or a common operating bar to the indi- Operator is arranged with its handle portion exvidual operating levers ot the circuit breakers so tending across the aperture. and with its guide 15 that movement of the bar efl'ects operation of all portions slidably extending between the cover of the circuit breakers simultaneously. Such arplate and the circuit breaker casings.

rangements, however, are not 'entirely satisiac- For a more complete understanding of my inl tory, since a considerable twisting force may be vention, reference should now be had to the go exerted on the individual operating levers ii' the drawing in which Fig. l is a plan view of a plu- 20 crossbar is grasped adjacent one end. This twistralityof circuit breakers having a slidable operaing moment may result in considerable damage tor embodying my invention applied thereto, a to the operating mechanism of the circuit breakportion of. the cover plate being broken away ers and furthermore, the provision of a. rigidly more clearly to illustrate the constructional dcconnected operating bar is considerably lacking tails; Fig. 2 is a sectional view, partly in eleva- 25 in iexibility.y Something is yet to be desired, tion, taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and therefore, in circuit breaker operators of thisv Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the slidable character, and it is a further object oi' my invenoperator illustrated in Pigs. 1 and 2. tion to provide a unitary slidable operator which Referring now to the drawing, there is shown may be easily applied to a plurality of circuit a slidable operator It applied to a plurality of 30' breakers, which is inexpensive to construct and circuit breakers Il supported in side-by-side rewhich may be actuated to operate simultaneously lation within an outlet box or housing I2, which a plurality of circuit breakers without damage to housing I2 is provided with a cover Il having a the circuit breaker mechanisms. ilanged aperture Il within which the circuit In carrying out my invention in one form, I breakers Il are supported- Althouh Operators 1.35 provide an operator for a. plurality or circuit embodying my invention arenot limited thereto. breakers mounted in side-by-side relation, which I have shown for purposes of illustration circuit operator comprises a slidable member having a breakers of the type described and claimed in my handle portion which is substantially U-shaped copending application Serial No. 50,907, nled No- 40 in cross-section and which extends across at Vember 21, 1935, 110W Pnt N0 2,065,357, P- 40 least two of the slde-by-side circuit breakers. ented December 22, 1936, entitled Circuit break- This handle portion is supported with its open er, which application is' assigned to the same side adjacent the circuit breakers so lthat the assignee as the present invention. operating levers of the circuit breakers .extend As is more fully described in my above-referred 46 thereinto by means of guiding and supportingto application, each of the circuit breakers in- 4g portions which comprise fiat plates extending clude 811 8561061118 m8. 4liil'ei'elbl! formed 0f outwardly from the legs of the U-shaped handle insulating material, and an operating lever Il portion. These guide portions slidably engage which extends through one Awilli o! the casing portions of the individual circuit breakers and (the upper wall as shown in Fig. 2), this upper 50 guide the operator for sliding movement so that wall being provided with shoulders il, which ex- 50 the sides ot the U-shaped handle portion engage tend parallel to the path of movement oi' the and move all of the operating levers simultaoperating lever I5. The circuit bxeakersmav of neously to operate the circuit breakers. course be supported in side-by-side relation .More particularly, each of the circuit breakers within the housing I2 in any suitable manner,

,5:5 includes a casing having an operating lever exbut I prefer to provide each circuit breaker with a supporting plate lll which may be detachably secured as by the screws it to suitable lugs it? which extend inwardly fromv the edges of the hanged aperture lil.

Preferably, the supporting plates il! are secured to the casings of the circuit breakers lll, as is more fully described in my above-referred to application, by suitable keys which engage the circuit breaker casing and extend through apertures in the supporting plates lll, the` ends of the keys being overturnedv or riveted as indicated by the reference numeral2@ in Fig. l.

As shown best in Fig. 3, the slidable operator il@ comprises a handle portion 2t which is substantially inverted lJ-shaped in cross-section, and a plurality of guide portions 22 which extend downwardly and outwardly from the legs of the irl-shaped handle portion. The circuit breakers l l are supported, as shown best in Fig. l, in spaced side-byl-side relation, and the width of the guide portions or the operator i@ is such that when the operator is placed over the circuit breakers in the position shown in Fig. l, these guide portions span or extend across the spaces between the circuit breakers il and thus'prevent access to these spaces, the edges ofthe guide portions 22 cooperating with the shoulder portions it on the circuit breakers to guide the operator it for slidable movement along the supporting plates il, the downwardly extending parts oi the guide portions 22 supporting the handle portion 2l above the shoulders [lili so that the handle portion clears the shoulder Il t3 as the operator l ll is moved.

'Thus the operator tu is supported with the lJ-shaped handle portion 2l extending across the circuit breakers il, with its open side adjacent the circuit breakers so -that the operating levers l5 extend thereinto, and it will be apparent that when the operator il@ is moved relative to the circuit breakers, the sides ci the U-shaped portion 2i will engage and move the operating levers id of all of the circuit breakers so as simultaneously to operate the circuit breakers between open and closed circuit positions.

As shown in Figs. l and 2, a ush cover plate is provided which extends over the flanged aperture lill in the cover i d and which is provided with a somewhat smaller aperture 243 through which the operating levers l5 and the shoulders lli oi the circuit breakers entend. This cover plate 23 is spaced slightly from the supporting plate lil, as shown best in 2, so that the guide portions 22 of the operator il@ may slidably extend into the spaces between the cover plate 23 and the supporting plate lll. Thus the operator lli is slidably retained in the proper relative position for operating the circuit breakers li simultaneously. As shown, the cover plate 23 is detachably secured by screws which threadedly engage the supporting plate il, and if desired, suitable stops, not shown, may loe-provided for positioning the cover plate 23 so as to prevent excessive iiriction between the cover plate and the guide portions 22 of the operator it.

it will now be apparent that l have provided a simple operating device which may be easily and quickly assembled relative to a plurality or circuit breakers, and it will likewise be apparent that the guide vportions 22 of the operator col operate with the shoulders it on the circuit breakers il so as to prevent any tendency of the operator to twist or bend during operation. As shown best in Fig. 2, when the operator it is moved from thev extreme right-hand position shown so as to operate the levers l5 from an accuses "on" to an "ohm position, the right-hand side of the lJ-shaped handle portion 2i! engages a corner 2&5 ci the lever l5 and thus a. maximum mechanical advantage is obtained.

Each of the circuit breakers il, as is fully described in my above-referred to application, includes trip-free current responsive tripping means for operating the contacts to open circuit position independently of the operating lever it so that the circuit breakers cannot be held against tripping by the operator it. Likewise, each circuit breaker includes means for moving the opu erating lever it to a mid-position to indicate that the circuit breaker has been automatically tripped. When two or more circuit breakers are mounted in side-by-side relatiomand provided with my improved operator for simultaneous op eration, the circuit breakers will usually be connected in related portions of a common electrical circuit so that upon the. occurrence of heavy overloads or short circuits, all of the circuit breakerswill trip simultaneously, and accord-1 ingly, the slidable operator lil will be moved by the operating levers l5 to a mid-position so as to indicate that the circuit breakers have been tripped automatically.

Under certain light overload conditions, it may happen that one of the circuit breakers will trip, while the other circuit breakers remain in a closed circuit position. ln such a case, the operator lil will of course be held against movement tofits mid-position by the operating levers of the closed circuit breakers. .This action is not objectionable, however, since the contacts of the one circuit breaker will open even though the operating lever l5 is restrained, and the remaining circuit breakers will immediately trip if a dangerous condition exists in the circuit.

Vhile I have shown a particular embodiment of my invention, it will be understood, of course, that l do not wish to be limited thereto, since many modifications may be made and I, therefore, contemplate by the appended claims to cover any such modications as fall within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

What claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent or" the United States, is

l. An operator for simultaneously operating a plurality of circuit breakers between open and closed circuit positions, said circuit breakers being supported in side-by-side relation and eachincluding a casing having an operating lever extending outwardly from one wall thereof, operator comprising a handle portion substantially U- shaped in cross-section extending inverted across at least two of said circuit breakers, and guide members extending outwardly from said U- shaped portion slidably engaging said circuit breaker casings for supporting said U-shaped portion with its open side adjacent said circuit breakers so that said operating levers extend thereinto, said guide portions supporting said handle portion for slidable movement in a direction at right angles to said handle portion whereby the side walls or said U-shaped handle portion engage and move said operating levers simultaneously to operate said circuit breakers.

2. An operatorfor simultaneously operating a plurality oi circuit breakers between and closed circuit positions, said circuit breakers being supported in side-by-side relation and each including a casing having a pivoted operating lever extending outwardly from one wall thereof and a shoulder extendingparallel to the path of movement ci said operating lever, said operator com= CJi prising a handle portion substantially luJ-shaped -in cross-section extending inverted across said circuit breakers and guide members extending outwardly from said U-shaped portion slidably engaging said circuit breaker casings for supporting said U-shaped portion with its open side adjacent said circuit breakers so that id pivoted operating levers extend thereinto, Said shoulder and said guide portions cooperating to support and guide said handle portion for slidable movement in a direction at right angles to said handle portion whereby the walls ci said U-shaped portion engage and move said operating levers simultaneously to operate said circuit breakers.

3. An operator for simultaneously operating a plurality of circuit breakers between open and .closed circuit positions, saidl circuit breakers being supported in spaced, side-by-side/relation and each including a casing having an operating lever extending outwardly from a wall thereof and a shoulder extending parallel to the path of movement of said operating lever, said operator comprising a handle portion substantially U-shaped in cross-.section extending inverted across said circuit breakers, and guide plates extending outwardly from the legs of Said U-shaped portion for supporting said U-shaped portion with `its open side adjacent said circuit breakers so that said operating levers extend ,thereinto, said guide plates extending across the spaces between said circuit breakers andl the opposite edges thereof cooperating with said shoulders to support and guide said handle portion for slidable movement in a direction at right angles to said handle portion, whereby the legs oi said U-shaped handle engage and move said operating levers simultaneously to operate said circuit breakers.

4. In combination, a plurality of circuit breakers each oi.' which is provided with a casing having an operating lever extending from a wall thereof, means for supporting said circuit breaker casings in side-by-side relation, a cover plate having an aperture through which all of said operating levers extend, and means for operating all y of said circuit breakers simultaneously comprising a slidable operator having guide portions slidably extending between said cover plate and said circuit breaker casings and a handle portion substantially U-shaped in cross-section extending inverted across said aperture and supported on said guide portions with its open side adjacent said aperture so that all of said operating levers extend thereinto, ,the sides of said U-shaped handle portion being thereby positioned to engage said operating levers to operate all of said circuit breakers simultaneously when said operator is slidably moved in a direction at right angles to said handle portion.

5. In combination, an enclosing casing having an aperture in one wall, a plurality of circuit breaker units each of which includes an operating lever, means including a supporting plate for each circuit breaker for supporting said circuit breakers in side-by-side relation within said enclosing casing with all of said operating levers extending through said aperture, a cover plate for said aperture having an opening therein, means supporting said cover plate 'on said supporting plates in spaced relation thereto with said operating levers extending ,through said opening, and means for simultaneously operating all of said circuit breaker vunits comprising a slidable operator having guide portions slidably extending into the spaces between said cover plate and said supporting plates and a handle portion substantially U-shaped in cross-section extending inverted across said opening in said'cover plate and supported on said guide portions with its open side adjacent said opening so that all of said operating levers extend thereinto, the sides of said U-shaped handle being thereby positioned lto engage and move said operating levers simultaneously when said operator is slidably moved in a direction at right angles to said handle prtion.

6. In combination, an enclosing casing having an aperture in one wall, a plurality of circuit breakers each of which includes an individual casing having an operating lever extending from a wall thereof and a shoulder extending parallel lto the path of movement of said operating lever, means for supporting said circuit breakers in sidebyside, spaced relation within said enclos'- ing casing with said shoulders and said operating levers extending through said aperture, a cover plate for said aperture having a smaller aperture therein through which said shoulders and said operating levers extend, means mounting said cover plate in spaced relation to said wall oi' each circuit breaker casing, and means for simultaneously operating all of said circuit breakers com? prising a slidable operator having guide plates slidably extending into the spaces between said circuit breaker Walls and said cover plate and a handle portion substantially U-shaped in crosssection extending inverted across the aperture in said cover plate and supported on said guide plates with its open side adjacent said aperture so that all of said operating levers extend there'- into, said guide plates spanning the spaces between said circuit breakers and the edges thereof engaging said shoulders to guide said handle portion for slidable movement in a direction at right angles to said handle portion whereby the sides oi' said U-shaped handle engage' and move said operating levers simultaneously to operate said circuit breakers.

V11min G. vos HOORN. 

